Saudi Arabia’s HUMAIN Acquires Controlling Stake In London-Based ai.io To Launch Sports Technology Division

HUMAIN, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF)-backed artificial intelligence (AI) company, has launched a sports technology division called HUMAIN Sport after acquiring a controlling interest in ai.io, a London-headquartered AI and sports technology company.

HUMAIN Sport is set to bring together the technical strengths of HUMAIN and ai.io to build unified AI-driven platforms serving the entire sports value chain. A statement noted that HUMAIN Sport’s offerings will support “broader participation in sport, data-driven athlete development, enhanced performance analysis, intelligent facilities, and new forms of digital and fan engagement.”

Tareq Amin, CEO of HUMAIN, said, “Sport is one of humanity's strongest forces for connection, and at HUMAIN we exist to bridge the gap between human potential and AI. Our investment in ai.io and the launch of HUMAIN Sport reflect this mission by using AI to unite people, empower athletes, and elevate participation and performance across the global sports ecosystem, while advancing our strategy to invest in leading AI companies worldwide. Strong commercial momentum is already evident, with multiple partnership agreements in development and announcements anticipated in the months ahead.” 

Darren Peries, founder and CEO of ai.io, added, “Partnering with HUMAIN significantly expands the reach and impact of our technology. Together, we can deploy AI solutions that support athletes, coaches, and organizations at every level of sport, while contributing to the growth of sports technology in the region and around the globe.” 

HUMAIN Sport has been depicted as an extension of the PIF company’s long-term strategy to expand the application of AI across various industries like sport, while also accelerating the development and deployment of advanced AI-driven sports technology solutions in Saudi Arabia and internationally.

The acquisition enables HUMAIN to leverage ai.io’s existing products, technical expertise, and global sports relationships to accelerate international expansion and develop new use cases. At the same time, ai.io will benefit from HUMAIN’s AI infrastructure, platforms, strategic partnerships, and commercial scale, supporting the delivery of AI-powered sports solutions across multiple geographies and sports disciplines.

Pictured in the lead image is ai.io founder and CEO Darren Peries and HUMAIN CEO Tareq Amin. Image courtesy HUMAIN.